Best Newcomer

Hamilton House

BUZZ Factor: Situated in a historic building on the corner of one of our favorite city blocks (Fuzhou Lu and Jiangxi Lu), it's hard not to fall in love with the ambiance and décor of this French restaurant. With a 4.8 buzz rating on the CW site, it's clearly a favorite among readers and eked out a tough victory in this category capturing 17.5 percent of the votes. French-Australian chef Philippe Leban credits many of his recipes to the home cooking of his mother whose Burgundy origins inspired many a hearty dish.
Runner-Up: Casa 13

Editor's Pick: El Willy
Like the Energizer Bunny, Chef Willy injected new life into the Diage space and the momentum just keeps going and going. Book a table in advance to get a taste of his famous truffle sandwiches, but you'll have to fight us for it.

Best Italian

Da Marco

BUZZ Factor: A two-time winner in this category, Da Marco dominated with 32 percent of the vote this time around. With almost eight Guanxi searches a day, it's the second most requested restaurant. Da Marco is also highly rated at four out of five by Dianping users.
Runner-Up: Otto Wine Bar & Restaurant

Editor's Pick: The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo
We come for the view of Puxi and the wood-fired pizzas. The fantastic food comes courtesy of chef and restaurant namesake, Salvatore Cuomo.

Best Brunch

The Stage at The Westin

BUZZ Factor: The Westin Hotel is famed for its extravagant spread of international and Asian cuisine accompanied by a string orchestra and dance and acrobatic performances. Overwhelmingly the favorite, with 30 percent of the vote, this brunch's price tag matches the bells and whistles, but is definitely an experience.
Runner-Up: Pudong Shangri-La

Editor's Pick: Azul Viva
Find us here on weekends enjoying our two (has anyone ever finished three?) course feast and mango-lime smoothie, yum.

Best Thai

Simply Thai

BUZZ Factor: This Thai chain, part of the Simply Group, again snags the top spot for Thai fare in the city with 38 percent of the online vote and 32 percent overall. Diners have made it clear that they like to savor their Pad Thai and curry entrées in Simply Thai's inviting setting.
Runner-Up: Coconut Paradise

Editor's Pick: Alyssa
Named after its owner, this cozy restaurant on the second floor of a Taikang Lu lane house is our perfect setting for a delicious and well-prepared Thai food experience.

Best Place to Kindle a Romance

Casa 13

BUZZ Factor: The journey down the lane to this intimate restaurant provides lots of opportunities to sneak in a pre-meal kiss (or two). Once inside, warm red and sepia tones create the perfect setting for gentle whispering, making it the romantic locale of choice for 24 percent of CW readers. Homestyle servings encourage you to shares dishes. Sit inside with candlelight or outside in the garden, choose a reasonably priced bottle of wine from their beautiful wine wall, and let the magic happen.
Runner-Up: Kathleen's 5

Editor's Pick: ZOCO Modern Tapas Cuisine
Candles set the mood as we steal away into one of the more intimate nooks in this restaurant for a quiet glass of sangria with the object of our desire.

Best Tapas

Azul Viva

BUZZ Factor: Chef-owner Eduardo Vargas' popular restaurant is a tapas machine, churning out scrumptious canapés and Mediterranean and Spanish-inspired dishes. It's also one of the rare venues to have cross-over appeal as it boasts an average ranking of four on Dianping.com, jiving with 27 percent of CW users whose votes say that these tapas are not to be missed. Runner-Up: Las Tapas

Editor's Pick: El Willy
We love the lamb and scallop and avocado ceviche, but we always ask Willy for his off-the-menu specials.

Best Steak

Lawry's The Prime Rib

BUZZ Factor: These steaks dominate your entire plate, so bring an appetite and your game face. This new addition to the Xintiandi strip has clearly made an impression on diners, claiming 24 percent of the vote. If you're not sure what to order, the prime rib gets the job done.
Runner-Up: Roosevelt Prime Steakhouse

Editor's Pick: Brasil Steak House
We skip lunch to prepare for a visit to this working man's steak house. Non-stop rounds of all-you-can-eat juicily skewered meats are a gift to our incisors.

Best Power Lunch

T8

BUZZ Factor: Better dress up for this decadent lunch, ideal for high brow business dealings according to 26.5 of our readers. A first-time winner, T8's elegant environment and exquisite fusion fare also received raves from Zagat. Is your boss into cocoa? The chocolate platter is definitely not-to-be-missed.
Runner-Up: roomtwentyeight

Editor's Pick: New Heights
We always enjoy ditching the office to soak up the sun on this patio and feast on the delicious buffet of salads, cold cuts, breads and more.

Best American

Element Fresh

BUZZ Factor: This popular chain, which continues to serve up fresh smoothies, salads and sandwiches with a nod to the health conscious, is an expat and Wi-Fi refuge. Last year's Best Place for a Business Meal stormed through the contest to win the American category, capturing 27 percent of the vote. With ample servings of fruits and veggies, they offer happy respite from oil, MSG and mayo-inspired salad dressing.
Runner-Up: Hooters

Editor's Pick: KABB Bar & Grill
The sister restaurant to Blue Frog has carved out a niche for itself on the Xintiandi strip. Servings are not allocated with Jenny Craig in mind and we think they have some of the best nachos in town. We're also big fans of the DIY Bloody Mary kit-bring on the Tobasco!

Best Indian

Indian Kitchen

BUZZ Factor: Their four locations around town have made these delicious curries available to the masses. Receiving 30 percent of the vote, Indian Kitchen's no-frills approach gives them an accessible appeal while an array of simple and authentic dishes offers a quick fix for curry cravings.
Runner-Up: Vedas

Editor's Pick: Bukhara Grill
With irresistible gulab jamon and a tantalizing selection of curries, this restaurant always satisfies. We often sneak in three servings of palak paneer during the weekend brunch buffet.

Best Outdoor Space

Element Fresh

(Xiangyang Lu)
BUZZ Factor: Narrowly squeaking in a four vote victory over the runner-up, we're not quite sure what it is about this particular EF locale's fourth floor deck overlooking Huaihai Lu, but as the Fine Young Cannibals might say, she drives us crazy--and we love it.
Runner-Up: New Heights

Editor's Pick: Kommune
This "Kommunal" courtyard is our Taikang Lu refuge for its rockin' Ozzie Barbecues, beer selection and the Aussies that inhabit it.

Best French

Jean-Georges

BUZZ Factor: Jean-Georges remains king in this category, claiming a cozy 29 percent of the vote. The Shanghai restaurant of famous French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is helmed by chef-partner Eric Johnson and boasts some of the most high-end French cuisine in town.
Runner-Up: Café Montmartre

Editor's Pick: Franck
The dark wood floors, double doors and red accents make us feel as though we've stepped from the streets of Shanghai into the bistros of Paris, with delicious confit de canard to boot.

Best Chinese

Jade Garden

BUZZ Factor: Shanghainese fare combined with a stylish setting and attentive service makes this chain restaurant popular among expats and locals. Famous for their steamed shad-Ca type of deep boiled herring-Cthe success and appeal of their cuisine has enabled them to expand throughout Shanghai and now up to Beijing as well. Winning Best Chinese Restaurant with 19 percent of the vote, the popularity of this venue speaks for itself.
Runner-Up: Crystal Jade

Editor's Pick: Din Tai Fung
We take all our out-of-town visitors here to introduce them to our favorite dumplings. You'd better make a reservation in advance, though. The xiaolongbao are so deliciously popular you'll have to fend off your friends' chopsticks to steal the last one on the plate.

Best Wine Selection

M on the Bund

BUZZ Factor: M's wine list includes 250+ bottles from the Americas, Italy, Spain, Australia, France, China and more, with prices ranging from ￥295 for a bottle of house wine to upwards of ￥7,000 for some Champagne and Grand Cru selections. With this diversity it's no wonder 22 percent of our readers voted for M's wine list.
Runner-Up: Jean-Georges

Editor's Pick: Laris
Their revamped wine list features 260 wines from France, the U.S. and Australia–good enough to sway us from our usual Thursday night Martini.

Best Dessert

PAUL

BUZZ Factor: After a rocky start-up earlier in the year, this formidable French bakery launched into the market with outlets around town, making their delicious pastries available to the masses. It was a tight race online but PAUL won out over runner-up House of Flour by a three percent margin to steal the show in the overall vote.
Runner-Up: House of Flour

Editor's Pick: Brix 12
We're addicted to these fruit-inspired sweets. With their low sugar count we sometimes interpret this as meaning we can order two instead of one.

Best Family-Friendly Restaurant

Blue Frog

BUZZ Factor: Featuring favorite American classics and a "Little Frog" menu, this restaurant is the choice for a family meal out. The suburban branches cater to families with play areas for the kids, adding to its appeal, as it racked up 39 percent of reader votes.
Runner-Up: O'Malley's Irish Pub

Editor's Pick: Moon River Diner
Our favorite branch on Hongmei Lu boasts a nice garden and play area. We don't have kids, but a visit here almost makes us wish we did.

Best Fusion

Jade on 36

BUZZ Factor: Helmed by French chef Paul Pairet, diners expect the unexpected when sampling the tantalizing dishes here. Also our Best Splurge winner, they garnered top billing in the Best Fusion category with 25 percent of the vote, though Pairet prefers the term "avant-garde cuisine." Jade's name has spread like wild fire throughout the city thanks to its famously inventive fare (think gazpacho sealed inside tomatoes), making it hard to quell that sense of playful curiosity when you sit down for a meal.
Runner-Up: M on the Bund

Editor's Pick: Laris
A stalwart member of the Bund elite, Australian chef David Laris' namesake restaurant continues to draw crowds. We're always a little worried about spilling on the white furniture but if you're to do it, do it right. We also like to grab some of their handmade chocolates for good measure.

Best Value

Wagas

BUZZ Factor: With 22 percent of the vote, readers love this restaurant's great value and large portions.
Runner-Up: House of Flour

Editor's Pick: Pasti

Best Splurge

Jade on 36

BUZZ Factor: We've happily broken the bank here (so has 25 percent of voters) because we always go all out.
Runner-Up: Jean-Georges

Editor's Pick: VUE Restaurant

Best Spicy Chinese Food

South Beauty

BUZZ Factor: With five locations around Shanghai, this spicy Sichuan staple is setting mouths across the city on fire. The winner last year, it's little wonder that it again pulls top honors for spicy fare in the city with 23 percent of the overall vote.
Runner-Up: Gu Yi

Editor's Pick: South Memory
When we have a craving for fiery fish head and spicy ribs, this is the joint we turn to-if we can get in the door, that is.

Best Restaurant

Haiku by Hatsune

BUZZ Factor: Last year's Best New Restaurant winner carried its momentum (and delicious Californian-style sushi) into its second year, winning an overwhelming 27 percent of the popular vote. Simply walking in is not recommended as you may not get a table-the dining room is usually packed during peak hours. Consistently ranked highly by CW users with a perfect five of five buzz factor on the CW site, Haiku holds sway over the palates of eager diners with offerings like the Caterpillar Roll and the Moto-roll-ah.
Runner-Up: Jade on 36

Editor's Pick: Casa 13
Being tucked away in a secluded residential compound hasn't lessened this restaurant's appeal (it's Guanxi-ed 5-6 times a night). It has that air of anticipation and exclusivity, but it's the delectable Mediterranean fare that keeps us coming back again and again.

Best Wi-Fi Café

Wagas

BUZZ Factor: In a tight race, this popular Shanghai chain pulled off a victory garnering 21 percent of the overall vote by you netizens out there. With reliable food complementing ready-to-go Wi-Fi, almost any Wagas location gives the workaholics among us an excuse to get out of the office.
Runner-Up: Figaro Coffee

Editor's Pick: Boonna Café
We love getting our Wi-Fi fix here along with all the other laptop devotees. The collection of English books and magazines are great for a five minute break from sending emails.

Best Buffet

Yi Café, Pudong Shangri-La

BUZZ Factor: This is the place to be when you can't decide what you want to eat, according to a quarter of CW voters. And, with a BUZZ Factor of four and a half on the CW site, it is a popular destination for users and Pudong dwellers beckoned by the aromas wafting from the Shangri-La towers.
Runner-Up: The Stage at The Westin

Editor’s Pick: The Grand Hyatt
When searching for a place in the clouds to enjoy a feast, we head up the Jin Mao to the Grand Café where we can pretend that only the birds are watching us cramming our plates.

Best Japanese

Haiku by Hatsune

BUZZ Factor: For many Westerners, Japanese food is synonymous with sushi rolls and sashimi, which explains Haiku's continued popularity. Haiku blew away the competition, capturing a whopping 37 percent of the total vote in this category to claim top prize.
Runner-Up: Sun with AQUA

Editor’s Pick: Shintori
When we think of Japanese food, we think Shintori. We enjoy their inventive neo-Japanese fare and minimalist ambiance and the green tea tiramisu is a favorite.